Predictable books use repetitive language and/or sequences, rhythms, and rhymes. Predictable books allow early readers to predict what the sentences are going to say, thereby increasing enjoyment and helping to build vocabulary and memory skills.
There are various types of predictable books:
Chain or Circular Story: The story's ending leads back to the beginning.
Cumulative Sequence: The story builds on a pattern. It starts with one person, place, thing, or event. Each time a new person, place, thing, or event is shown, all the previous ones are repeated. Example: The Gingerbread Man.
Familiar or Known Sequence: A common, recognizable theme such as the days of the week, the months, etc. Example: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
Pattern Stories: The scenes or episodes are repeated with a variation.
Question and Answer: A question is repeated throughout the story. Example:
Brown Bear, Brown, Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
Repetition of Phrase/Sentence: As its name implies, a phrase or sentence is repeated.
Repetition of Rhymes/Rhythms: A rhyme, refrain, or rhythm is repeated throughout the story.
Songs: Familiar songs with repeated phrases, sentences, rhymes, or refrains.
Chain or Circular Story Books
If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff Look out, Bird! Marilyn Janovitz Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema Why the Sun Was Late by Benjamin Elkins
Cumulative Sequence
The Bag I'm Taking to Grandma's by S. Neitzel
Benny's Pennies by Pat Brisson Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz," Went Bumblebee by Colin West Chicken Licken by Gavin Bishop Have You Seen the Crocodile? by Colin West Henny Penny by H.W. Zimmerman Here Is the Southwestern Desert by
Madeleine Dunphy Here Is The Tropical Rain Forest by Madeleine Dunphy "I Don't Care!" Said the Bear by Colin West I Know an Old Lady by Linda McClelland In Enzo's Splendid Gardens by Patricia Polacco Inside a Barn in the Country by
Alyssa Satin Capucilli It's a Perfect Day by Abigail Pizer It's My Birthday by Helen Oxenbury It's Too Noisy by Joanna Cole Jack's Garden by Henry Cole The Judge by Harve Zemach Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan Knock, Knock, Teremok! by K. Arnold Little Pink Pig by Pat Hutchins Little Tuppen: An Old Tale by Paul
Galdone Mike's Kite Elizabeth MacDonald Miss Mabel's Table by
Deborah Chandra Mr. Grumpy's Outing by John
Burningham The Napping House by Audrey & Don Wood "Not Me," Said the Monkey by Colin West The Old Woman And Her Pig by Paul Galdone One Monday Morning by Uri Shulevitz The Pig In the Pond by Martin Waddell Rooster 's Off to See the World by Eric Carle The Rose In My Garden by Arnold Lobel Rum Pum Pum by Maggie Duff The Sandwich That Max Made by Marcia Vaughan Seven Sillies by
Joyce Dunbar The Story of Chicken Licken by Jan Ormerod The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown by Teri Sloat Today Is Monday by Eric Carle The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Familiar or Known Sequence
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak Come Out and Play, Little Mouse by Robert Kraus Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward It Begins With an A by Stephanie Calmenson Moo, Moo, Brown Cow by Jakki Wood One Bear All Alone by Caroline Bucknall Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert Sunday Potatoes, Monday Potatoes by Vicky Shiefman Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Ellen Appleby Time To... by Bruce McMillan Today Is Monday by Eric Carle The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle When This Box Is Full by Patricia Lillie
Pattern Stories
Are You There Bear? by Ron Maris The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss Dark Cloud Strong Breeze by Susan Paton Four Fierce Kittens by Joyce Dunbar Hippity Hop, Frog On Top by Natasha Wing I Wish I Could Fly by Ron Maris Jeremiah and Mrs. Ming by Sharon Jennings Little Pink Pig by Pat Hutchins Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag A Most Unusual Lunch by Robert Bender Peter and the Talking Shoes by Kate Banks The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown Seven Sillies by Joyce Dunbar Spider, Spider by Kate Banks Stop, Thief! by Robert Kalan Suddenly! by C. McNaughton Who Took The Farmers Hat? by Joan Nodset
Question and Answer
Black Crow, Black Crow by Ginger Foglesong Guy Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. Is It Time? by Marilyn Janovitz Where's My Share? by Valerie Greeley Whose Footprints? by Molly Coxe Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Kraus
Repetition of Phrase/Sentence
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
The Baby Blue Cat Who Said No by Ainslie Pryor
A Beautiful Feast for a Big King Cat by John Archambault and Bill Martin, Jr.
Big and Little by Ruth Krauss
The Big Block of Chocolate by Janet Slater Redhead A Big Fish Story by Joanne and David Wylie Black Crow, Black Crow by Ginger Foglesong Guy Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz," Went Bumblebee by Colin West The Chick and The Duckling by V. Sutwev and Mira Ginsburg Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak Come Out and Play, Little Mouse by Robert Kraus Dance Away by George Shannon Do You Want To Be My Friend? by Eric Carle Don't Climb Out Of The Window Tonight by Richard McGilvray Four Fierce Kittens by Joyce Dunbar From My Window by O. Wong Greedy Cat by Joy Cowley A Happy Tale by Dorothy Butler Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle Have You Seen the Crocodile? by Colin West "Hello, Great Big Bullfrog!" by Colin West Hippity Hop, Frog On Top by Natasha Wing A House Is A House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri I Am Eyes-NI Macho by Leila Ward I Bought My Love A Tabby Cat by Colin West "I Don't Care!" Said the Bear by Colin West I Went Walking by Sue Williams If The Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino It's A Perfect Day by Abigail Pizer The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown Jack Baked the Cake by B. G. Hennessy King Of The Woods by David Day Knock, Knock! Who's There? by Sally Grindley Let's Eat! Ana Zamorano Little Pink Pig by Pat Hutchins The Little Red House by Norma Jean Sawicki Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse Mike's Kite Elizabeth MacDonald A More Or Less Fish Story by Joanne and David Wylie A Mouse In My House by Nancy Van Laan Mrs. Wishy-Washy by Joy Cowley Moo, Moo, Brown Cow by Jakki Wood No, Barnaby by Tizzie Knowles No, No, Titus! by Claire Masurel "Not Me," Said the Monkey by Colin West The Piney Woods Peddler by George Shannon Possum Come A-Knockin' by Nancy Van Laan Sailor Bear by Martin Waddell Sitting in My Box by Dee Lillegard Sitting On The Farm by Bob King Something For Nothing by Phoebe Gilman Step by Step by Diane Wolkstein Stop, Thief! by Robert Kalan Sunday Potatoes, Monday Potatoes by Vicky Shiefman Ten Out Of Bed by Penny Dale There's A COW In The Road! by Reeve Lindbergh The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown by Teri Sloat What's Wrong Tom? by Paul and Emma Rogers Where Are You Going, Little Mouse? by Robert Kraus Where's My Share? by Valerie Greeley Who Said Red? by Mary Serfozo Who Sank the Boat? By Pamela Allen Whose Footprints? by Molly Coxe You Can't Catch Me by Joan Kahn
Repetition of Rhymes/Rhythms
The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag
Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger Africa Calling: Nighttime Falling by Daniel Alderman Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming A Beach Day by Douglas Florian
A Beautiful Feast For A Big King Cat by John Archambault and Bill Martin Jr. Beside the Bay by Sheila White Samton Cats and Robbers J. Wahl Chase Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells Clap Your Hands by Janet & Allan Ahlberg The Dancing Fly by Joy Cowley Dark Cloud Strong Breeze by Susan Patron Each Peach Pear Plum by
Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg Flap Your Wings and Try by Charlotte Pomerantz The Farmer and the Dell by Mary Maki Rae Four Fierce Kittens by Joyce Dunbar Hello, Cat You Need a Hat by Rita Golden Gelman A House Is A House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Glen Rounds I Love Spiders by John Parker I Went Walking by Sue Williams Inside a Barn in the Country by Alyssa Satin Capucilli Is it Time? by Marilyn Janovitz Is Your Mama a Llama by Deborah Guarino Jake Baked The Cake by B.G. Hennessy Johnny Crow's Garden by Leslie Brooke The Lady With the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott Mary Had a Little Lamb by Sara J. Hale Miss Mabel's Table by Deborah Chandra The New Baby Calf by Edith Newlin Night House Bright House by M. Wellington One Bear, One Dog by Paul Strickland
Our Brat Cat by Dick Punnett Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme by Nadine Bernard Westcott Red Cat, White Cat by Peter Mandle Rise and Shine by Nancy While Carlstrom The Sandwich that Max Made by Marcia Vaughn Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw Sheep on a Ship by Nancy Shaw Silly Sally by Audrey Wood Sing a Song of People by Lois Lenski A Summer Day by Douglas Florian Sun is Falling, Night is Calling by L. Leuck Sun Sand Sea Sail by Nicki Weiss Sun Song by J. Marzollo Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Alex Gilman Teeny Tiny Woman by Jill Bennett The Thing That Bothered Framer Brown by Teri Sloat There Once Was a Puffin by F. Jaques There's a Hole in the Bucket by Nadine Bernard Westcott There's A COW In The Road by Reeve Lindbergh This Old House by Karen Ackerman This Old Man by Carol Jones Thump, Thump, Rat-a-Tat-Tat by Gene Baer Today is Monday by Eric Carle Tough Boris by Mem Fox Train Song by Diane Siebert The Wheels on the Bus by
Sylvie Wickstrom Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by
Michael Hague We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen Where Did the Naught Little Hampster Go? by Patty Wolcott Where Does the Brown Bear Go? by Nicki Weiss A Winter Day by Douglas Florian
You Push, I Ride by Abby Levine The Zoo at Night by M. Robinson
Songs
The Eensy-Weensy Spider by Mary Ann Hoberman and Nadine Bernard Westcott
Yankee Doodle by Mary Ann Hoberman
One Wide River To Cross by Barbara Emberley
Over In The Meadow by Ezra Jack Keats
